Lasallian Association for Mission in Bristol (LAMB)
Discussion paper for District Chapter April 2nd - April 6th

We are conscious that although several Brothers have been involved with LAMB over the last three years, others may find it useful to have a short precis of what LAMB is, what our vision is, and what we are asking of the Brothers.

History

LAMB was formed in response to Bro. Owen's invitation to former Kintbury team members. At a meeting in 2001, we decided that the group then meeting (about 50 people) was too large and unwieldy to formulate a single action plan. A resolution was made to form local or regional groups to establish Lasallian missions based on local needs and experience.

LAMB quickly grew to include a wider membership than former team members. However our approach and vision is strongly based on our experiences of working at Kintbury, taking school groups there, or going on retreat there. Our vision is therefore based on an experience of Lasallian spirituality, as opposed to Lasallian education.

Mission Statement

"We are a growing, open, Christian community, alive in the spirit and the charism of St John Baptist De La Salle. By living a life of love, witness, mutual support and prayer we desire to listen to, and reach out to all, especially the young and those in need.

Lasallian Association for Mission in Bristol (LAMB) lives out this mission statement by providing prayer, community and affirmation for young people, with the longer term aim of establishing a Lasallian Community which will be able to reach out to schools, parishes and wherever young people are in need."

Some observations about our Mission

As stated above, our Mission has been influenced by our experience of Lasallian Spirituality. We have learned from our experiences at Kintbury that young people hunger and thirst for spiritual direction in their lives. So many young people, on leaving Kintbury, state that it has made a big difference to them - it has given them an insight into the spiritual life. For many, it has started a journey of spiritual discovery that will go on for the rest of their lives. For some, it has started a process whereby young people minister to their peers, go on to work at Kintbury or a similar place, and play an active role in the life of the Church.

However...

Not all young people have the opportunity to go to Kintbury (or a similar centre). Some cannot afford it. Some do not go because of peer pressure. Some do not go because there are not enough places. Some do not go because they have already given up on the Church and can not be bothered. Perhaps those who stand to benefit the most do not go.

Of those who are fortunate enough to go, many report that they find things very difficult when they return to their home and school environments. For some, the problems they went to Kintbury to escape will be there waiting for them when they get home. For others, the experience at Kintbury is a "mountain-top" experience. The problem is that one cannot live on the top of a mountain. And when you come down from the mountain, what is waiting, lush pastures or a desert wilderness ? For many, the small seed of faith that has been planted withers and dies in the desert after only a short time.

When we send young people home from Kintbury, we send them out with a mission of "Good News". We ask them to pass the message on to their peers, to be witnesses to Christ. This is a difficult thing to do; even for adults it is difficult. To do this effectively in a secular society requires courage, commitment and support. Perhaps it also requires training of some kind.

How can we help ?

Our vision is that we can work in schools to follow-up on the good work that is started at Kintbury and other similar places. We can help by planning and organising events in the school for young people. We can provide a level of support for both teachers and young people. We can establish a "presence" in the school so that we become trusted, and everyone in the school sees that we are there as a resource for them. We can provide a continuity of spiritual experience that goes on from one year to the next. We can be a "listening ear" for those who need it. We will have time for people.

We aim to be a:

• support for R.E. departments
• resource for chaplaincies and pastoral teams
• source of encouragement to teachers
• means of liaising with families
• link between the school and the wider community
• a source of animation and challenge to young people through retreat programmes within and outside the school

How will we do this ?

We plan to establish a community in Bristol; this community will have two parts:

• a part-time group consisting of volunteers who offer their time at evenings and weekends. This group can participate in occasional planned events.
• a full-time group. This group will have a regular presence in schools and will be able to organise and run events during school hours.

Part-time members

The first of these groups exists already, and has been able to run occasional retreats and Youth Days for pupils of local schools and the U.W.E. Cathsoc. The group at present consists of people who are mostly in schools and have become frustrated by the limitations of time and resources given to chaplaincy.

In the future, part-time members may be teachers from LACE, parents, ex-pupils, Brothers, Sisters, Priests, ex-Brothers, from the LDWP, from The Head Teachers Conference, family and friends, working, and retired.

The part-time group will be:

• Prayer partners to those in the full-time community
• A support to full-time members
• A faith support to each other

However, we believe that the part-time group has much more to offer than that; there is a significant wealth of experience among our part-time members and this can be drawn upon as needed for specific events.

Our vision is that once the second group is in place, both groups will form a single community. We will have similarities to both Kintbury and New Creation, but we are also distinctively new and different. The model for our community comprises the part-time community, the Brothers and other full-time adults, and the temporary youth peer ministry team. We believe this is a unique model even among lay communities.

The full-time group

The full-time group will arrange a timetable of activities with each school separately. It is anticipated that each school will have different needs, and we will do what we can to meet those needs. The work will require a flexibility with regard to working hours, as some activities will need to take place after school or at weekends.

The full-time group will be a residential group, and will be loosely based around the model used at St Cassian's: Brothers, Sisters and lay volunteers (younger and older) will share a house, pray, eat and carry out a mission together. It is desirable to include some young volunteers in the community so that peer ministry can be carried out. We will ask for a minimum commitment of one year for volunteers wishing to join this community; but this could be extended by mutual agreement.

The main difference, compared with St Cassian's, will be that the community will not be running a retreat centre; the community will go to the young people rather than the other way around. This is not a particularly new idea; "New Creation" was a community based on a similar model, also working in schools, in the early 1990's.

Our vision is that Lasallian spirituality will inspire and motivate all the work that the community does, that concern and care for young people will be at the centre of everything we do.

In summary

The two groups mentioned above will carry out a ministry to young people based on the Lasallian marks of “gratuity” and “by Association”. Gratuity in this case means that the students receive the ministry freely; we will expect the schools to give something towards this, but nothing like what it would otherwise cost. “By association” in this case means that it is a team ministry, with peer ministry at the heart of it.

Progress to date

LAMB has met with the Bishop of Clifton on two occasions to discuss this proposal and he has been very enthusiastic about it, as have other interested agencies in the diocese such as the Secondary Schools Advisor. The Bishop has written to five schools and colleges in the Bristol and Bath area recommending the work of LAMB. Out of these, four have met with Bro Owen and are keen that LAMB begins its work in their schools as soon as possible. This includes financial commitment from the schools.

LAMB has conducted a retreat for St Bede's, St Thomas More's and St Bernadette's during the weekend of 12th - 14th March; LAMB's work in these schools has therefore already begun. In addition, LAMB has provided three guided retreats for the University of the West of England chaplaincy; in the future we hope to extend this to Bristol and Bath universities.

A suitable property for a community of five to live in and work from has been located in Clevedon and subject to terms and conditions looks to be a realistic proposition.

Volunteers have already expressed an interest and are looking forward to the Brothers commiting personnel to this venture. A wealth of talent and experience is already to be found in Bristol amongst LAMB members and the permanent community will only encourage more use of this talent.

What are we asking of the Brothers ?

We believe that the Brothers' vocation and experience provides a richness of spiritual experience. We see this as being a vital component of the community, providing a particular charism that is unique to the Brothers. We want to learn from this experience and pass it on to the lay volunteers in the team, to peer ministers, and the young people in schools.

Over the last few years, the Brothers' involvement as teachers in schools has gradually declined. There is a sense that the Brothers' original mission for education of the poor is complete (in the UK), in that education is now available to all, rich and poor. What we are asking of the Brothers is to go back into schools, not as educators, but as ministers and chaplains, or to paraphrase De La Salle, as older Brothers to the pupils they find there.

We are therefore asking the District to send two or three Brothers to live and work in this community, and for an initial commitment to the project of three years.

The various schools that will benefit from this work have agreed to provide some funding, however some financial assistance from the Brothers will probably be needed as well.

What are we asking of other Lasallian Associations ?

We would welcome any assistance from members of the other Lasallian Associations; we would welcome any who wish to become part-time members of LAMB, who wish to keep in touch, or who can help in any other way.

18th March 2004
(with thanks to the contributors and reviewers, especially: Bro. Ben Foy, Isabella Harding, Mark Quinn, Bro Bernard Westcott)